Morning Briefing:
Madonna's adoption woes: Despite reports last week to the contrary, Madonna left Malawi on Friday without her new charge, 1-year-old adoptee David, because his visa and passport are still being processed. But now it may be difficult for her to leave with him for some time to come: The Human Rights Consultative Committee (HRCC), a coalition of human rights groups in Malawi, wants to ensure the country's laws "are not bent" for the pop star. "The laws of Malawi are clear that if one wants to adopt a child one has to stay with the child for at least 18 months for assessment," a spokesman for HRCC said during an announcement that the group is filing for a stay of the adoption order a Malawian judge granted Madonna and her husband, Guy Ritchie, last week. (People)
Sara Evans files for divorce: Country music singer and former "Dancing With the Stars" star Sara Evans filed for divorce on Thursday of last week, the same day she dropped out of the ABC show for personal reasons. A source from "Dancing With the Stars" tells Us Weekly: "Her husband has had a longtime porn problem. He's addicted to Web porn, and it's been a strong source of contention in their marriage. She very recently found out that he had struck up a relationship with another woman he met on the Internet and began having an affair." (Us Online)
Annals of online fame: The current issue of the New Yorker has a long look at Stevie Ryan, the woman behind YouTube personality Little Loca, and the vagaries of YouTube success. The profile delves into the production of her episodes as well as her certainty that the people behind YouTube are conspiring against her by not featuring her videos on the site's home page: "They hate my guts. I've never been featured, so I don't watch the featured videos now. I'm really angry at YouTube. I don't care what anybody says, they're doing it on purpose." Crispin Glover appears toward the end of the article, showing up in one of Ryan's videos to promote his upcoming movie "What Is It?" He's spent a decade working on the film, using mostly actors with Down syndrome, and describes it as "the adventures of a young man whose principal interests are snails, salt, a pipe, and how to get home." (New Yorker)
Also:
Scarlett Johansson has reportedly signed her first record contract, and her debut album is set to be titled "Scarlett Sings Tom Waits." (Fox 411) ... With solid ratings after just three episodes, ABC has decided to pick up "Ugly Betty" for a full season. (Zap2It) ... "The Grudge 2" was this weekend's biggest movie, debuting with $22 million in box office sales. (Hollywood Reporter) ... Lindsay Lohan is mulling an extended break from the big screen, telling reporters recently, "I might take a vacation -- take a year off. I want to travel and learn more about other cultures. The more I've grown up, the more I want to do that." (The Scoop)
Turn On:
Monday night, it's the season finale of "Driving Force" (A&E, 9 p.m. EDT), new episodes of "Heroes" (NBC, 9 p.m. EDT) and "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" (NBC, 10 p.m. EDT), and Zooey Deschanel makes a cameo on "Weeds" (Showtime, 10 p.m. EDT).
On the Talk Shows:
Larry King (CNN, 9 p.m. EDT): John Mark Karr
David Letterman (CBS, 11:30 p.m. EDT): Mark Wahlberg, canine wigmaker Ruth Regina, M. Ward (repeat)
Jay Leno (NBC, 11:35 p.m. EDT): Hugh Jackman, Tim McGraw
Conan O'Brien (NBC, 12:35 a.m. EDT): Regis Philbin, Dierks Bentley
Craig Ferguson (CBS, 12:35 a.m. EDT): Howie Mandel, Andy Summers, Rodrigo y Gabriela (repeat)
Jimmy Kimmel (ABC, 12:05 a.m. EDT): Jessica Simpson, Carlos Mencia, the Killers (repeat)
Jon Stewart (Comedy Central, 11 p.m. EDT): Frank Rich
Stephen Colbert (Comedy Central, 11:30 p.m. EDT): Barry Scheck
-- Scott Lamb
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